Dental Word Search

Find the teeth, the tools and the tooth fairy, then print the puzzle with its answer key.

Name Date

Dental Word Search

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 15 words found

TNLAOMOONOIHPDE

OIEICAVITYIDESR

OYRJMHQDSXRAYNL

TTNBHDRFIATDPDF

HGUMSLNHRBRACES

BABYTEETHOXMBNB

RSELNFROLQROOTD

UHLLHATEHFSUOIC

SHFOXYDIILOECSA

HRYYRBEANUDNHTN

BEDRCVSHCOYAEGI

ELPANAONIRVMCNN

OREOFLOSSIYEKHE

CYLCUESMODELUJI

ZLCOMOLARESYPEC

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

IncisorINCISOR
CanineCANINE
MolarMOLAR
Baby teethBABY TEETH
EnamelENAMEL
RootROOT
GumsGUMS
ToothbrushTOOTHBRUSH
FlossFLOSS
FluorideFLUORIDE
CavityCAVITY
DentistDENTIST
CheckupCHECKUP
X rayX RAY
BracesBRACES

15 of 25 words from the Dental Health list.

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Word list

Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

The puzzle changes as you go. See the puzzle

Answer key: Dental Word Search

TNLAOMOONOIHPDE

OIEICAVITYIDESR

OYRJMHQDSXRAYNL

TTNBHDRFIATDPDF

HGUMSLNHRBRACES

BABYTEETHOXMBNB

RSELNFROLQROOTD

UHLLHATEHFSUOIC

SHFOXYDIILOECSA

HRYYRBEANUDNHTN

BEDRCVSHCOYAEGI

ELPANAONIRVMCNN

OREOFLOSSIYEKHE

CYLCUESMODELUJI

ZLCOMOLARESYPEC

INCISOR, CANINE, MOLAR, BABY TEETH, ENAMEL, ROOT, GUMS, TOOTHBRUSH, FLOSS, FLUORIDE, CAVITY, DENTIST, CHECKUP, X RAY, BRACES

Next step Type in your own unit's dental words Make a dental word scramble

All 128 words

Kinds of Teeth 20

Arch The curved row of teeth in one jaw.
Baby teeth The first set, 20 in all, which starts to appear at about six months of age.
Bicuspid Another name for a premolar, which sits between the pointed teeth and the grinders.
Bite To cut into food with the front teeth; also the way the two rows meet.
Canine One of the four pointed teeth, made for tearing. Dogs have very large ones, hence the name.
Chew To crush food between the back teeth before swallowing.
Deciduous The dentist's word for the first set, which falls out as the leaves of some trees do.
Dentition A full set of teeth and the way it is arranged.
Eye tooth An everyday name for a canine of the upper jaw.
Grind To crush into tiny bits, the job of the molars.
Incisor One of the eight front teeth, shaped for cutting. The name comes from the Latin for "to cut".
Lower Underneath. The mandible holds this row.
Molar A broad back tooth that grinds food.
Permanent Lasting. The adult set of 32 is called this.
Primary First. Dentists use the word for the set of 20 that comes before the adult set.
Quadrant One of the four quarters into which dentists divide the mouth.
Tear To pull apart, the job of the canines.
Thirty two The number of teeth in a full adult set.
Upper On top. Sixteen adult teeth sit in this jaw.
Wisdom teeth The third molars, the last to arrive, usually between the ages of 17 and 25.

Show all 128 words (108 more)

Parts of a Tooth 21

Cementum The thin layer that covers the root of a tooth.
Cheek The soft side of the face that covers the back teeth.
Crown The part of a tooth covered in enamel; also a cap a dentist fits over a tooth.
Dentin The yellowish layer under the enamel that makes up most of a tooth.
Enamel The outer layer of a tooth's crown, the hardest substance in the human body.
Gingiva The dentist's name for the gums.
Groove A narrow dip. The chewing tops of back teeth have them.
Gums The pink tissue that covers the jaws around the teeth.
Jaw Either of the two bones that hold the teeth.
Ligament A band of tough fibers. A tiny one fastens each tooth to the bone round it.
Lips The two soft edges of the mouth.
Mandible The lower jaw.
Maxilla The upper jaw.
Mineral A hard natural substance. Enamel is 96 percent this.
Neck The narrow part of a tooth where crown and root meet.
Nerve A fiber that carries feeling, such as hot and cold, to the brain.
Palate The roof of the mouth.
Pulp The soft innermost part of a tooth, where the nerves and blood vessels are.
Root The part of a tooth set in the jaw, below the gum line.
Saliva The watery liquid made in the mouth, about 99 percent water.
Socket The hollow in the jaw that a root sits in.

Brush and Floss 23

Acid A sour chemical. The kind that plaque bacteria make dissolves enamel.
Bacteria Living things too small to see. Plaque is mostly made of them.
Bristles The short stiff fibers on the head of a brush, now commonly nylon.
Cavity A hole in a tooth made by decay.
Decay The slow breaking down of a tooth by acid.
Electric Run by a motor and a battery, as some brushes are.
Floss Thin cord pulled between teeth. An early form, in 1819, was waxed silk thread.
Fluoride An ingredient that makers add to toothpaste to help prevent decay.
Foam A mass of tiny bubbles.
Handle The long part you hold.
Mint A cool-tasting herb. Two kinds of it are among the most common toothpaste flavors.
Miswak A teeth-cleaning twig of the Middle East, used as a natural brush.
Mouthwash A liquid swished between the cheeks and then spat out.
Nylon The plastic fiber of most bristles and much floss.
Plaque A sticky, colorless film of bacteria that grows on teeth.
Sink The basin with a tap in a bathroom.
Squeeze To press from both sides.
Sugar The sweet part of food that mouth bacteria break down into acid.
Swish To move a liquid about with a soft rushing sound.
Tartar Plaque that has hardened on the teeth.
Toothbrush A handle with a head of tightly packed bristles. An early one, in Tang dynasty China, used hog hair.
Toothpaste The cream squeezed from a tube onto bristles.
Tube The soft, squeezable container that toothpaste comes in.

At the Dentist 34

Appointment A set day and time for a visit.
Assistant The helper who hands the dentist tools.
Bib A paper cover clipped round the neck.
Braces Wires and brackets that slowly straighten teeth.
Chair The seat that tilts back for a patient.
Chart The record in which each tooth is noted.
Checkup A routine visit to see that all is well.
Cleaning The part of a visit when plaque and tartar are scraped away and the teeth are polished.
Clinic A place where patients are seen and treated.
Dental Of or about teeth.
Dentist A doctor who looks after teeth and gums.
Exam A careful look-over.
Explorer A thin metal probe with a sharp tip, also called a sickle probe.
Filling The material a dentist packs into a cleaned-out cavity.
Gloves Thin hand covers put on fresh for each patient.
Hygienist The licensed professional who cleans teeth at a dental office.
Impression A mold of the teeth made by biting into soft material.
Mask A cover worn over the nose and mouth.
Mirror A tiny one on a handle lets a dentist see behind the back teeth.
Mouthguard A soft cover worn over the teeth and gums in sports.
Numb Without feeling for a while.
Orthodontist A dentist who specializes in straightening teeth and jaws.
Patient A person in the care of a dentist or doctor.
Pediatric For children, as some dental offices are.
Polish To rub until smooth and shiny.
Retainer A made-to-fit piece of wire or clear plastic that holds teeth in place after braces.
Scaler A narrow-tipped metal tool for scraping tartar off teeth.
Sealant A thin coating painted into the grooves of back teeth to keep decay out.
Smile The look of a happy mouth.
Sticker A small peel-off picture, a little prize after a visit.
Suction Drawing air or water in. A small tube uses it to keep the mouth dry.
Tray The flat holder on which the tools are laid out.
Waiting room Where patients sit until they are called.
X ray A picture that shows the roots and bone that the eye cannot see.

Losing Baby Teeth 18

Adult Fully grown; the name for the second set of teeth.
Bedside Next to where you sleep.
Coin A round piece of metal money, such as a quarter.
Erupt The dentist's verb for a new tooth breaking through the gum.
Folklore Stories and beliefs handed down by ordinary people.
Gap The empty space where something is missing.
Lisp To say S so that it sounds like TH.
Loose Not held firmly in place.
Mouse In Spain and Spanish-speaking America this small animal, not a winged visitor, comes for the lost tooth.
Pouch A small soft bag.
Shed To let fall off naturally, as a tree drops its leaves.
Six The age at which the first set usually starts to fall out.
Surprise Something nice that you did not expect.
Teething What a baby is doing when the first set pushes through the gums.
Tooth fairy The folklore visitor who swaps a small payment for what a child leaves at bedtime; on record since 1908.
Twelve The age at which the shedding of the first set usually ends.
Twenty The number of teeth in a full first set.
Wiggle To move back and forth in small quick motions.

Animal Teeth 12

Baleen The plates of keratin that some whales have for filtering food, in place of teeth.
Beaver A rodent whose front teeth never stop growing; iron in the enamel colors them orange.
Elephant The largest land animal. Its tusks are overgrown incisors.
Fang A long, sharp, pointed tooth, as of a snake or a wolf.
Gnaw To bite or chew at something again and again.
Hippo A river giant of Africa whose tusks are canines.
Ivory The hard white material of tusks, mostly dentin.
Narwhal An Arctic whale. The male's spiral tusk is a canine that grows out through the lip.
Rodent A gnawing mammal, such as a squirrel, with one pair of ever-growing incisors in each jaw.
Shark A fish that sheds and replaces its teeth all through its life.
Tusk A long front tooth that keeps growing and sticks out well past the mouth.
Walrus A whiskered sea mammal whose two tusks are canines.

How this list was compiled: Own work: the word list and every clue were written for this page. Word meanings were checked on 8 October 2026 against each word's entry in Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dental and the entries for the other words). Facts in the clues were checked the same day against these English Wikipedia articles: Human tooth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_tooth), Incisor, Canine tooth, Premolar, Wisdom tooth, Deciduous teeth, Tooth enamel, Dentin, Pulp (tooth), Periodontal fiber, Dental arch, Saliva, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Dental floss, Miswak, Dental plaque, Dental calculus, Tooth decay, Dental sealant, Dental braces, Retainer (orthodontics), Dental hygienist, Orthodontics, Dental explorer, Periodontal scaler, Mouthguard, Tooth fairy, Tusk, Beaver, Shark tooth, Narwhal, Elephant, Walrus, Rodent, Baleen and Ivory. A vocabulary list for class, not medical or dental advice. Licence: own work

How it works

Incisor, Canine, Molar, Enamel and Tooth fairy are among the words of this dental word search, written for dental health month. Hygiene, fitness and sleep words are on the health word search.

Read the full guide

Six lists, from Incisor to Tusk

Under Start from a list: Kinds of Teeth has the four kinds, Incisor, Canine, Bicuspid and Molar, with Wisdom teeth and Baby teeth. Parts of a Tooth has Enamel, Dentin, Pulp, Crown and Root. Brush and Floss has Bristles, Fluoride and Plaque, At the Dentist has Hygienist, X ray and Sealant, and Losing Baby Teeth has Wiggle, Gap and Tooth fairy.

Animal Teeth

The sixth list leaves the mouth: Beaver, Shark, Narwhal, Walrus and Elephant. A beaver's front teeth are orange from iron in the enamel, an elephant's tusks are overgrown incisors, and a narwhal's tusk is a canine.

Thirty two and Twenty are hidden as words: the sizes of the adult set and the baby set.
Six and Twelve are hidden too: baby teeth are usually shed between those ages.
The clues define words and give facts; none tells anyone how to care for teeth.

Questions and answers

Is this a dental word search printable?

Yes. Press Print or save as PDF. Page one is the puzzle with a name and date line, page two the answer key, and both fit Letter or A4. New puzzle draws a fresh set of words for the next class.

What words are in the dental word search?

128 words and phrases, each with a clue: everyday ones such as Gums, Floss and Smile, and the dentist's own, such as Gingiva, Mandible and Deciduous.

When is dental health month?

February is National Children's Dental Health Month in the United States, an observance of the American Dental Association. Source: ada.org, National Children's Dental Health Month, read 8 October 2026.

Which list suits kindergarten and first grade?

Short and Easy: 12 words of 3 to 5 letters, such as Jaw, Gums, Root, Chew, Mint and Tusk. Losing Baby Teeth is the next step up, with Wiggle, Loose, Coin and Gap among its 18 words.

All 128 words

Kinds of Teeth 20

Parts of a Tooth 21

Brush and Floss 23

At the Dentist 34

Losing Baby Teeth 18

Animal Teeth 12

How it works

Six lists, from Incisor to Tusk

Animal Teeth

Questions and answers

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